Real-life resilience - Trader Joe's

Before we dive in, if you have 2 mins to spare for a quick survey about resilience at work, I’d love to get your input here. And I promise that it legitimately only takes 2 mins. Either way, I appreciate you!

In the mid-1960s, a guy called Joe Coulombe was in a spot of trouble.

Joe was running a small chain of convenience stores in California called Pronto Markets. He didn’t own the stores, but he was the GM at the time. Business was steady and life was good. But the sharks were starting to circle. 7‑Eleven, the heavyweight of the convenience world, was expanding into California with deep pockets and an appetite to gobble up the competition.

What made it even harder was that the company that financed Joe’s operations (Adohr Milk Farms) had just been acquired by 7‑Eleven’s parent company. In one move, his financial safety net became aligned with his biggest competitor. Imagine you’re trying to compete with Goliath and suddenly, the person holding your wallet works for Goliath.

So Joe made a decision that changed everything.

He took a quick vacation.

Well, not so much a vacation, but a practiced pause for two days with his wife and kids up at Lake Arrowhead outside of LA. He went there to get out into nature and clear his head. And for those two days, holed up in the woods, he wondered what kind of store could survive (and thrive) in a world where 7-Eleven dominates?

The birth of Trader Joe’s

Joe returned from that cabin with a refreshed vision. Instead of going head to head with 7‑Eleven and offer something similar, he pivoted his business model significantly. He bought the six Pronto stores outright and rebranded them under the new name of Trader Joe’s, focused on building something unique that locals would actually want. Here’s what he did:

• He targeted a new audience. Instead of fast-paced convenience shoppers, he designed the store for the “overeducated and underpaid” (his words). People who were smart, curious, and culturally aware, but also on a budget.

• He focused on private-label products. Others were doing it already with cheap knock-offs, but Joe was the real pioneer when it came to quality private labels. He curated his selection with care, built a feeling of exclusivity and ensured his products aligned with his brand values. This resulted in better margins, unique offerings, and no price wars with big-name brands.

• He kept his selection small. Trader Joe’s carried around 10% of the number of items compared to traditional supermarkets.

• He infused storytelling into the experience. He made hand-drawn signs and started a newsletter called the Fearless Flyer. In this way, everything felt personal and human (a clear contrast to 7-eleven!).

When I came across this story, it sounds like a clever strategy, but it’s actually a brilliant example of resilient reinvention. Joe didn’t just respond to pressure - he changed the script and created something totally new.

Ideas to borrow from Trader Joe’s

Joe’s story is a mirror for modern work life. We’re not fighting billion-dollar businesses, but we are facing our own frustrations:

• A manager who won’t give us space.

• Politics that slow down our best ideas

• Being asked to do more with less (ever heard that one?!)

• Threats of AI replacement

• Pressure to fall in line instead of innovate

And in these moments, Joe’s approach still holds up. If we’re talking about a demonstration of resilience, he shows us that it’s about reframing the game when the current one isn’t serving us.

Joe wasn’t trying to find a way to beat 7-eleven at their own game. He was trying to start a different game that people wanted to play!

That’s a shift worth practicing.

These 4 tools help build a mindset to thrive.

1. Take our own retreat.

We don’t need a cabin. We don’t even need two days. But we do need space. When the pressure builds, one of the best things we can do is to carve out 30–60 minutes away from the noise to pause. Nature is an ideal setting if we can get it to, usually without distractions. The answers are more likely to come when we step back.

2. Zoom out.

With that time and space, Joe was able to see a pathway that hadn’t been obvious before - he didn’t need to win over the masses. Instead, he focused on a specific kind of person with a specific need. Sometimes I try to zoom out, literally. I imagine that I’m observing myself from somewhere nearby and I think about the advice I’d give myself. It’s amazing the advice we offer up when we see ourselves as a third-person!

3. Simplify wherever possible.

When we’re feeling stretched or overwhelmed, what can we subtract? And in the case of toxic people in the office, who can we subtract? Either way, it’s about getting back to doing a few things really well rather than trying to be everything to everyone. It’s also much more intentional this way. For example, if the task is to “learn AI”, we should pick one area to focus on, rather than trying to do it all.

4. Focus on our distinctiveness.

Joe’s stores were successful because they were different. What is it about our approach, our communication, or our leadership that’s unique to us? Double down on that. Let’s not conform just to survive.

Pressure can come from any angle and it’ll feel like the walls are closing in. But if we pause, zoom out, and simplify, often a new path emerges that still feels like a good fit for us.

It sounds like a bit of reinvention, but it’s also damn resilient!

And like Joe showed us, sometimes all it takes is a weekend in the woods.

Until next time friends, stay resilient.

Carre @ Resilient Minds

PS - just another friendly reminder to please take 2 mins to add your thoughts on resilience at work with this EXTREMELY SHORT SURVEY (sorry for the ALL CAPS - I’m just keen to hear what you think :-) )